


Stay With Me

by jotchLIFE



Category: Criminal Minds (US TV), S.W.A.T. (TV 2017)
Genre: F/M, slight AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-12
Updated: 2020-09-12
Packaged: 2021-03-07 01:27:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,829
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26428597
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jotchLIFE/pseuds/jotchLIFE
Summary: It's scary how much of an impact one phone call can have on your life.
Relationships: Jennifer "JJ" Jareau/Jim Street
Comments: 2
Kudos: 10





	Stay With Me

Street groaned as the ringing of his cell phone woke him up. A quick glance at the clock told him it was just past two in the morning. His annoyance grew into confusion when he didn't recognize the incoming number… after all, the only person who called at this time was his sergeant.

Sighing, he swiped the 'answer' button. "Street."

"Street, this is Aaron Hotchner."

Street immediately sat up in bed. There was only one reason why Agent Hotchner would be calling him… something had happened to JJ.

Street's heart was pounding so loud that he was sure Hotch could hear it. "What happened? Please tell me she's okay."

"Street, you need to get down to DC Memorial… right now."

He was up and grabbing clothes before Hotch could finish the sentence. "How bad is she?"

He heard a sigh on the other end of the line. "She was stabbed, in the chest. She lost a lot of blood. They just took her in for emergency surgery."

Street's hands were shaking so bad that he almost dropped the phone. He managed to choke out "I'll be right there" before hanging up.

It didn't take him three minutes to pull on his clothes, shoes, and find the keys to his truck. After that, he was in the truck breaking countless traffic laws to get to the hospital.

On the way, Street allowed himself to think about the news, and his life with the amazing blonde that was now fighting for hers.

A little over a year ago, Street transferred from the LA SWAT team, to the DC SWAT team. It had been a big change, but it was something he needed.

After the death of his brother, and sending his mom back to prison, he realized he couldn't stay in California any longer. There were too many memories there, and he felt like he needed a fresh start.

Street loved his teammates back in LA, and he really did miss them, but they supported his decision, and he promised to stay in touch.

Hondo knew a guy with a DC SWAT team that had managed to secure Street a position. It was everything Street could've hoped for. He quickly became close with his new team, and he exceled in the field.

Things were going great for the young officer… and then they got even better.

About six months into his transfer, Street's team was called to work with the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit. That was when he got to meet Special Agent Jennifer Jareau for the first time. He was instantly attracted to her. After all, she was gorgeous. The second she flashed that radiant smile, Street knew she was going to be the death of him.

The two immediately hit it off working together, and soon Street's attraction to her grew beyond physical appearance.

JJ was tough and smart, but also sweet, and funny.

After the case was closed, and Street and JJ were no longer obligated to remain professional towards each other, Street asked JJ out. Much to his surprise, she said yes.

They started dating after that. Both of them claimed not to want anything serious. JJ had just handled a messy divorce, and Street, well with his track record, wasn't sure if he would ever be ready to settle down… That all changed.

After a couple months of casually dating JJ, Street realized that he was falling for the blonde. He wanted a more serious relationship with her, and that scared him. He eventually sat JJ down and told her how he felt about her.

JJ surprised him yet again by telling him she reciprocated those feelings. She told him that she had originally meant to have a casual relationship, but before she knew it, she was in love with him.

Street couldn't have been happier. Seeing JJ was the highlight of his day. It was rare that they were apart in their off hours. One of the many things Street loved about JJ was that she was adventurous. They would find new and exciting things to do on their days off. He really enjoyed that, even though with JJ, he was content just curled up on the couch with take-out and a movie… something they frequently did after long shifts at one of their apartments. They hadn't officially moved in together yet, but it was in their near future, and they spent more time at each other's places than their own.

Another thing Street loved, was that JJ was as dedicated to the job as he was. She understood if he got a call out at three in the morning. She would get called out a lot too, and would have to be gone for days at a time.

While Street would miss JJ whenever she was gone, he supported her job because he knew it was her passion.

That's how the present events all got started… a call up in the early hours of the morning. JJ was staying at Street's place, and got a call from her boss about 1am. She had cursed a couple of times under her breath before telling Street she had to go in.

Before she could crawl out of bed, Street pulled her close and dropped a kiss on her head, saying he would make her some coffee.

Twenty minutes later, Street was telling JJ to be careful, as he kissed her goodbye.

Luckily, the BAU didn't have to go out of town, the case was right in DC, but that didn't stop Street from worrying. He always worried about JJ when she was on the job. He knew that she could handle anything, that she could protect herself, but he also knew the dangers of being law enforcement.

He never expected this call.

Now it was early Thursday morning. Street hadn't been able to see JJ since she left for her case. They had exchanged some texts, and a brief phone call, but that was all they had managed.

Now, Street was scared to death he wouldn't ever be able to hear JJ's voice again.

All of this ran through Street's mind in the ten minutes it took him to get to the hospital. Once he arrived, he ran through the ER doors in search of the BAU. It didn't take long to find them crowded in a corner of the waiting room. "How is she?"

They all looked up at the sound of Street's voice. Hotch went to respond, but before he could, Garcia ran to Street, wrapping him in a hug. "Oh my poor Street!" It was obvious she had spent a while crying.

Street didn't say anything, but hugged Garcia back. Once he was finally released from her death grip, Hotch placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. His eyes were sorrowful, his voice barely above a whisper. "She's still in surgery."

Street just nodded before collapsing into a nearby chair. He ran his hand across his eyes before taking stock of the rest of JJ's team. Garcia had sat back down beside of Morgan, their hands firmly grasped in one another's. Morgan's gaze was fixed on the tile floor. Rossi, a grim look set on his face, was next to Reid, whose eyes were sad and bloodshot. If Street knew one thing, it was how much JJ was loved by this team.

Hotch took a seat beside Street. "I'm sure you have a lot of questions."

Street leaned forward, his forearms resting on his knees. "How'd this happen, Hotch?"

Hotch took a deep breath, but was barely able to meet Street's eyes. He was blaming himself, and Street knew it was because he felt responsible for everything that happened to his team. He also knew JJ and Hotch had a close friendship, and this was hitting him hard.

"We got a lead on the case, about a witness to one of the murders. JJ and I went to interview her. What we didn't know was that the suspect found out about her too. We arrived on scene, and the suspect had already broken into the house. He was still there, so JJ and I split up to search the house. She got into it with him, and he stabbed her."

While it was odd for Hotch to show any emotion, Street heard his voice break during his last sentence. "What about the suspect? Tell me the bastard is dead." Street knew that if he wasn't dead, he was going to go and fix that himself.

"He is." There was absolutely no sign of remorse in Hotch's tone.

"Hotch, I- I can't lose her." His hands were shaking again, and he clenched them in an effort to stop.

Hotch, once again, patted the officer on the shoulder. "I know."

Hotch continued to sit with Street during the wait, and he appreciated the support.

When he and JJ had started dating, the BAU family welcomed him with open arms. They were a really good group of people, and Street enjoyed going with JJ to team gatherings. They were the true definition of family, and that was no different sitting in the hospital waiting room.

They all sat there for three hours… with no news on JJ's condition. It was the longest three hours of Street's life.

For the most part, nobody moved from their chairs. Occasionally, one of them would get up to ask the nurses if they knew anything, or to get some coffee, but they wouldn't go too far in fear of missing an update.

Street was a lot more fidgety than the rest. He spent a good bit of the time pacing back and forth in front of the chairs. Hotch tried to get him to calm down, but it was to no avail.

All he could think about was the possibility JJ wouldn't make it. The thought of not being able to see her smile, or hold her in his arms, broke his heart. He felt his eyes start to burn, but before he could break down, he mumbled a quick "I'll be right back" to Hotch, and stumbled towards the bathroom.

Once the door was shut and locked, the tears started to fall. Street had lost people he cared about before, people he loved, and at some point he even thought he had gotten used to it, but standing there right then, he knew he couldn't survive losing JJ.

After a few moments, Street started to compose himself. He splashed some cold water on his face before exiting the bathroom and rejoining the team. "Anything?"

Hotch shook his head. "Nothing."

Street re-took his place next to Hotch and pulled out his phone. He quickly opened his photo gallery, and flipped to a certain picture. It was of him and JJ, his arms wrapped around her waist, bright smiles on both their faces. He loved that picture, and right now, he really needed to see her face.

Hotch was looking at him curiously, so he turned his wrist enough for the older man to see the picture. "This is my favorite."

Hotch smiled softly. "She talks about you all the time. Being with you is the happiest I've ever seen her."

Street smiled despite the lump in his throat. "I never thought I could find someone as amazing as her. She's completely changed my life… she's made me into a better man."

Hotch nodded. "She has an effect on people, like no other. She's someone everyone wants to be around. I know she's brightened my day on numerous occasions."

Street was glad he had Hotch to talk to right now. Talking and hearing about JJ was therapeutic at a time like this. "We talked about moving in together… I want to marry her, Hotch. She has to pull through, she's the strongest person I know."

"She will. She has so much to live for."

The two were silent for a long moment, Hotch studying the floor while Street continued to stare at the picture. A voice broke them from their thoughts.

"Family of Agent Jareau?"

Street's eyes snapped up to the doorway, where a man was standing in blue scrubs.

Everyone stood up.

"Are you all Agent Jareau's family?" The doctor had a skeptical look on his face.

Hotch was the one to respond. "Close enough. I'm Agent Hotchner, her emergency contact."

"Okay. I'm Dr. Wells, the surgeon that operated on Agent Jareau."

Street felt like he was going to pass out. He was light-headed, and his whole body was shaking. He didn't know if he was ready for this conversation or not.

"When Agent Jareau was brought in, she had lost a substantial amount of blood." He addressed the whole team before turning back to Hotch. "Agent Hotchner, you are the only reason she was still alive when she was brought in. Paramedics told me you managed to slow the bleeding before they arrived on scene."

Street caught Hotch's eye with a grateful look before waiting on the doctor to proceed.

"The knife punctured one of her lungs, causing it to collapse. On impact, two of her ribs were cracked, which also punctured her lung. In addition to that, the knife severed an intercostal blood vessel, which is located along the ribs. We were able to repair the damage, and she is stabilized for now. I will say, she coded once during surgery, and it is still a very touch-and-go process. She is intubated for now, but we should be able to take the tube out once she is moved to the ICU. We are keeping a very close eye on her for infections, but if she makes it through the next twenty-four hours, her chances will greatly improve."

Dr. Wells paused before adding, "Agent Jareau is very lucky. A half an inch over, and the knife would have torn through her heart."

"What are her chances? Just give it to us straight." Street knew he sounded angry, but it was either that, or break down again.

The doctor let out a sigh. "I'm afraid, right now, they're fifty-fifty."

Street helplessly looked at the BAU, and he was sure their looks of desperation mirrored his own. Garcia started sobbing again, Morgan tried to console her while fighting back tears of his own. Reid just looked lost. Street had no doubt that the young doctor knew more about JJ's condition than the rest of them. Rossi stood there, gripping Reid's shoulder, with a blank look on his face, and Hotch was still looking at the doctor, but his eyes had glazed over after hearing the update.

Street vaguely heard Hotch ask Dr. Wells if they could see JJ, and he knew that was exactly what he needed.

"Not right now. She's still in recovery, but someone will let you know when she's moved." With that, the doctor gave one last sympathetic look before turning through the doors.

Street desperately wanted to see JJ… needed to see her, to hold her hand, to have some sort of tangible proof that she was going to be okay. Even after hearing an update, he wasn't feeling any better. In that moment, he didn't know how to feel. He was broken over the thought of losing the love of his life. He was angry… angry at the bastard who did this to her… angry at the team for not being able to stop this from happening… and he was angry at himself for not being there to protect her. Deep down, he knew that was irrational, there was no way he could have been there, but he still couldn't help but feel the guilt.

In the end, the anger won out. Street slammed his fist into the wall beside of him, letting out a sharp yell. He knew that later his hand would probably hurt like hell, as he hit hard enough to leave a crack in the wall, but right now he was numb to it. He wished he was as numb to everything else.

Hotch stepped over to him, but before he could say anything, Street made his way to the exit. The waiting room was too small, and it felt like it was closing in on him. He had to get out of there.

SWATSWAT

Street didn't know how long he had been sitting outside before Hotch came and found him. When he left the ER, he found a bench near the side of the building and sunk down onto it.

All of his emotions, coupled with the recent events, were absolutely overwhelming. He was a SWAT officer, who had faced down the toughest of criminals, not to mention what happened with his parents, but this was the scariest situation of his life. Street thought that if he could step outside, away from the all-too-familiar waiting room, maybe he could clear his head… That wasn't the case.

The solitude only allowed Street to fall further into his thoughts, into his memories of time spent with JJ. Their first date, during which they had their first kiss… the first time he took her for a ride on his motorcycle, something JJ really loved… and the first night they spent together. Everything leading up to kissing her goodbye this past Wednesday morning, came flooding into Street's mind. Even though he whole-heartedly loved those memories, right now they served as a reminder that he might not get to make any new ones with JJ.

Street didn't look up, although he knew Hotch was standing there.

But instead of saying anything, Hotch just took a seat on the bench, next to Street, much like he did in the waiting room.

"I'm sorry about back there. I just…" Street continued to stare at the grass beneath his boots.

"It's okay. Nothing you're experiencing right now is easy." He was about to say something else until his phone buzzed in his pocket. He checked it before turning to Street. "That was Morgan. They're moving JJ from recovery to the ICU. She's not awake yet, but you can go see her."

Street stood up so fast it made his head spin, but he didn't waste any time getting back in that hospital, Hotch following closely behind. When they got to the waiting room, there was a nurse standing with the rest of the team.

Morgan turned to Street. "She's going to take you to see JJ."

The nurse gave a kind smile. "Come on, sir. If a couple more of you want to follow us, that's fine. He can have ten minutes with her, then two more of you can have ten minutes. That's all we can allow right now, Agent Jareau needs her rest."

The team agreed that Hotch and Garcia should be the other ones to see JJ. Hotch was going to let Reid go, but the young doctor didn't know if he was ready to see his best friend in her current condition.

When they got to the doors of the ICU, the nurse instructed Hotch and Garcia to wait outside. She then led Street to a small room beside the nurse's station. "This is Agent Jareau's room. She's not awake, but there's still a good chance she can hear you if you talk to her. Remember, you only have ten minutes."

Street nodded before opening the door and stepping inside. Tears sprung to his eyes when he saw JJ. She had numerous machines hooked up to her, and she was deathly pale. The large hospital bed made her look even smaller than she was. Luckily, the doctor was able to take the breathing tube out, as JJ was breathing fine on her own… that was some improvement.

Street sat down beside the bed, and took JJ's cool hand in his own. "Hi, sweetheart. It's Jim. You're going to be okay, but you've got to keep fighting. Just keep fighting for me, Jay. I need you to open those beautiful blue eyes. If you can't right now, that's okay, take your time, but just stay with me. We have so much to do when you get better."

For a few moments, Street just sat there, holding JJ's hand and willing her to open her eyes. He listened to the monitors, letting the steady beat of her heart reassure him.

He knew his time was about up, so he started talking again. "I can't stay in here right now. I would if I could, but they won't let me have long. Your whole team his here, Hotch and Garcia are going to come see you, and I'll be back as soon as I can, I promise." Street stood up and kissed JJ on the forehead. "I love you, Jay."

The lump was back in his throat as he exited the room.

Garcia and Hotch each took their ten minutes, then they all went back to the waiting room.

Street got a call from his sergeant, asking why he hadn't come to work this morning. Street explained the situation, and was grateful when Sergeant Evans told him to take a few days off to be with JJ.

About an hour later, the nurse came back out. She told them that the rest of the team could have their turn seeing JJ, then Street could go back and sit with her for a while.

So Reid, Morgan, and Rossi each had ten minutes before Street went back in there.

After sitting beside JJ's bed for two hours, with no change, Street was beginning to lose hope all over again. That was until a small movement around his hand grabbed his attention.

"Jay?"

Then he felt it. JJ was squeezing his hand.

"JJ, come on. Can you open your eyes for me?" Looking at her intently, he could see her eyelids start to flutter. "That's it, sweetheart."

Street could've jumped for joy when JJ finally managed to open her eyes.

"Jim." Her voice was raspy, but Street didn't care. She was awake.

"You have no idea how happy I am to see your beautiful eyes." He smiled down at her while stroking her hand. "How do you feel?"

JJ groaned. "Like I've been hit by a semi-truck."

Street went and got the doctor, who was happy to see JJ awake. After running a few tests, he let Street and the team know that he was optimistic about JJ's prognosis.

Street was let back into the room after a while, so he re-took his position beside of JJ.

He was quiet for a long moment, so JJ squeezed his hand. "Hey. Talk to me."

"It's just… JJ, I almost lost you. That scared the hell out of me. I love you so much."

A single tear slipped down JJ's cheek. "I love you, too… and I'm not leaving you."

Street knew JJ wasn't out of the woods yet, it would take time for her to recover, but he was going to stay by her side for as long as it took.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading!


End file.
